Submission No 5

INQUIRY INTO THE MUSIC AND ARTS ECONOMY IN

NEW SOUTH WALES Organisation: Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils

Date received: 9 February 2018

The Hon. Paul Green, MLC Chair, Portfolio Committee No. 6 - Planning and Environment NSW Legislative Council, Parliament House, Macquarie St Sydney NSW 2000

Dear Chair,

NSROC Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils

Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils PO Box 20, Lane Cove, NSW 1595

9 February 2018

Submission to the Inquiry into the Music and Arts Economy in New South Wales

Thank you for the opportunity for Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC) to make a submission. NSROC is an association of 8 member Councils that include Councils of Hornsby, Hunters Hill , Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, Mosman, North Sydney, Ryde and Willoughby.

Please find our attached submission, specifically addressing the Inquiry's following Terms of Reference:

(b) policies that could support a diverse and vibrant music and arts culture across New South Wales - Research and Creative Industries.

(c) policies that could support the establishment and sustainability of permanent and temporary venue spaces for music and for the arts- Regional Infrastructure.

(d) policy and legislation in other jurisdictions, and options for New South Wales including red tape reduction and funding options- Policy and Funding Programs.

(e) any other related matter- Advocacy.

Across all our member Councils areas, the region's current level of annual funding from Create NSW is only $85,000. Out of a total State Government Art and Cultural Budget of $1 .51 billion (Deloitte Report 2015: Building Western Sydney's Cultural Arts Economy) , this represents a figure of 0.0056% of state funds awarded annually to the Northern Sydney region's council-based cultural facilities.

The NSROC region is critically underfunded in arts and cultural areas from the state (and federal) government.

NSROC would welcome the Committee's consideration of our enclosed submission. If you require further information, I can be contacted on or by email at:

Yours §incerely,

Carrie Chan Executive Director

NORTHERN SYDNEY REGIONAL ORGANISATION OF COUNCILS Lane Cove Civic Centre, 48 Longuevi lle Road, Lane Cove NSW 2066 I PO Box 20 Lane Cove NSW 1595

P (02) 9911 3660 I E cchan@lanecove.nsw.gov.au www.nsroc.com.au

Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC) Submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry

into the music and arts economy in NSW

Date: 8 February 2018

Background:

This submission has been prepared by the Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC), a voluntary organisation of local governments whose members are the Councils of Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, Mosman, North Sydney, Ryde and Willoughby. The population of NSROC member Councils is estimated at 590,000 representing 7.8% (or 1 in 13) of the NSW population.

Across all facilities and member Council areas, Northern Sydney's current level of annual funding from Create NSW is $85,000. Out of a total State Government Art and Cultural budget of $1 .51 billion (source: Deloitte report: Building Western Sydney's Cultural Arts Economy, 2015) this represents a figure of 0.0056% of state funds awarded to Northern Sydney council-based cultural facilities on an annual basis.

Northern Sydney is traditionally self-reliant and a strong performer in arts and culture but has generally not achieved its potential in recent years, especially when compared with areas such as Western Sydney who have established strong networks and successful lobbying efforts in the arts and culture sector. On a comparative basis, Northern Sydney is critically underfunded in arts and cultural areas from state and federal government sources.

Key Issues for Northern Sydney

• Current underfunding of Northern Sydney arts and culture from state and federal governments

• Northern Sydney region currently not achieving its potential in the arts and cultural sector

• Opportunity to substantially increase night-time activities in Northern Sydney, especially in major centres such as North Sydney and Chatswood.

• Potential to develop a regional approach to arts and culture service provision • Potential to develop networking/sharing of information and resources between

Northern Sydney councils/arts organisations • Opportunity to establish an official representative body to advocate for arts and

culture in Northern Sydney region. • Substantial opportunities in creative industries and private giving sectors

Establishment of a Northern Sydney Art and Culture Professional Officers Group

As a first step in addressing these issues NSROC is currently considering a proposal to work with its member councils to establish a formal network of arts and cultural officers from across the NSROC area (an informal network of council officers previously existed but was disrupted by the process of forced council amalgamations). Networking opportunities exist for arts and cultural services across Northern Sydney councils, allowing for a sharing of relevant information, advice, expertise and resources, and to avoid duplication of services. The establishment of a Northern Sydney Arts and Cultural

Services Professional Officers Group will provide opportunities to develop project partnerships with regional focus and impact, provide an official voice to advocate for arts and culture in the Northern Sydney region and provide a cultural services perspective on community and economic development for the reg ion . It is anticipated that the network group will be formally established in the first half of 2018, subject to final endorsement.

The following are proposed steps for State Government involvement in developing a more culturally active Northern Sydney with a vibrant night-time economy.

This submission specifically addresses the Inquiry's following Terms of Reference:

(b) policies that could support a diverse and vibrant music and arts culture across New South Wales -

Research That the state government consider comm1ss1oning a report on arts and culture in Northern Sydney (similar in scope to the report titled Building Western Sydney's Cultural Arts Economy - a key to Sydney's Success, Deloitte, 2015) to better define and position the region as part of a strong NSW sector.

Creative industries That the state government consider the development of an investment strategy, including seed funding, that increases the capacity of the region, and utilises and expands the substantial (privately supported) creative industries sector that currently exists in Northern Sydney. ·

(c) policies that could support the establishment and sustainability of permanent and temporary venue spaces for music and for the arts -

Regional Infrastructure That the state government consider prioritising the capital and recurrent support of key council controlled infrastructure within the region, especially in the areas of visual and performing arts and artist residencies.

(d) policy and legislation in other jurisdictions, and options for New South Wales including red tape reduction and funding options -

Policy and Funding Programs That the state government develop policies and programs that consider Northern Sydney as a distinct region/sub-region for its policy and funding programs, rather than grouping it collectively with Eastern Sydney and Sydney CBD (which house the State institutions that attract the majority of state funding and resources).

(e) any other related matter-

Advocacy That the terms of reference for the New South Wales Night-Time Economy Taskforce be expanded to allow contributions from Regional Organisations of Councils (ROCs) as stakeholders/contributors.